Amazing Spider-Man Annual #37
The Spider and the Shield
A Few Years Ago…[1]
While heading to the Daily Bugle to try and get a photo assignment from J. Jonah Jameson, Peter Parker has to go into action as Spider-Man when he catches the Sandman robbing a bank. Thanks to negative publicity from the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man is accused of trying to rob the bank as well. While fighting the Sandman, the web-slinger is grabbed by his foe who tries to smother the hero with his massive sandy appendages. That’s when the trademark shield wielded by Captain America bounces off the villain’s head, knocking him out. The crowd is excited to see Captain America and he assures them that Spider-Man is not a threat to worry about.[2]As it turns out, Captain America had been looking for Spider-Man because he wanted to thank the web-slinger for assisting the Avengers against their recent battle against a Spider-Man robot.[3] Spider-Man admits that he left the battle before he could be thanked because the Avengers made him nervous. Still, Captain America was glad that Spider-Man got involved in the battle nonetheless. With the police arriving on the scene, Cap allows Spider-Man to exit out the back, promising to hand the Sandman over to the authorities.
Spider-Man watches from a nearby alley, amazed by how everyone treats Captain America like a celebrity when he is feared and hated by most. As the Sandman is restrained with an inhibitor collar and placed in the back of a police van there is a sudden flash of light as four individuals teleport onto the scene. When Captain America asks who they are, their leader — a man named Darwin — informs Captain America that they are an enclave of rogue scholars from the future that have come back in time to prevent Sandman from killing 27% of the world population when his powers grow out of control.[4] To prevent this from happening, the rogue scholars — which includes Tesla, Curie, and Kafka — have come back in time to kill Flint Marko. This, unfortunately for them, is something that Captain America will allow. Tesla tries to explain that the last time there was a chronal alignment of this type it saw Hitler’s rise to power. Despite this, Captain America refuses to let them kill someone for something they might do in the future.With that, a fight breaks out, with each member of the rogue scientists utilizing powers based on the expertise of the famous scientists they are named after.
Seeing Cap is in trouble, Spider-Man swings in and prevents Kafka from killing the Sandman. With the police van ripped to shreds, the web-slinger grabs Flint Marko and flees. With Captain America keeping them at bay, Darwin evolves into an alien form and comes up with a plan that will stop their opponents. He commands Curie to use her powers to grow some vines that grab the Sandman and pull him away from Spider-Man’s grasp. Taking their fight to the rooftops, Darwin spots a pigeon coop and orders Curie to blast them with her mutating energies to make an army to fight for them. Captain America deflects her blast with his shield but the mutation beams strike the Sandman, jacking up his powers to a level that the inhibitor collar cannot contain. With his new power, the Sandman decides to eliminate a third of all life on the planet on a whim. Spider-Man points out to the scientists that they just created the scenario they were trying to avoid. Luckily, the web-slinger deduces that they can defeat their foe by having Tesla use his powers to overpower the inhibitor collar. The feedback from such a burst of energy knocks out the Sandman and reverts him back to normal. This leaves Sandman knocked out for at least twenty four hours, averting the crisis they were trying to stop.
This is apparently exactly as Darwin planned, explaining that he came up with this entire scheme to make their mission as exciting as possible. When Curie hugs Darwin for his display of heroism he suggests that they return to their own time. As the time travellers teleport away, Spider-Man and Captain America overhear Darwin asking Curie out to dinner and realize that this was all to impress a woman.The following day, Spider-Man is reading the Daily Bugle and is not surprised that Spider-Man’s role in the events were spun in J. Jonah Jameson’s typical anti-Spider-Man fashion. Captain America joins him and thanks the web-slinger for his help and offers to help alter public perceptions of the web-slinger.[5] While Spider-Man appreciates the offer but doesn’t think it would work but thanks Cap none the less. As Spider-Man swings off, he thinks about how Uncle Ben would be proud of him for working with Captain America. Meanwhile, Captain America can’t believe that a heroic young man like Spider-Man is considered as much of a villain as Sandman. He admits that Spider-Man was right about the time it would need to alter the public’s perception of Spider-Man due to his duties with the Avengers. As he heads for home, Captain America wonders if perhaps he could use the Avengers to do the job for him.[6]
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Captain America, Sandman
Continuity Notes
This story takes place during the early days of Spider-Man’s career. The Marvel Chronology Project places this story as happening around Amazing Spider-Man #20. Per the Sliding Timescale this would place this story as happening during “year two” of the Modern Age.
Everyone is in awe over Captain America, Spider-Man included, because Captain America had just recently returned after being MIA in the final days of World War II. See Avengers #4 for details.
This was a robot created by Kang the Conqueror. Spider-Man helped them defeat this robot in Avengers #11.
At the time I write this (September, 2020) there has yet to be an official reality designation for the future in which these rogue scholars come from.
Captain America tells Spider-Man not to believe everything he reads on the Internet, saying that a website states that Steve Rogers was active as Captain America in the 1950s. This is obviously incorrect. As revealed in What If? #4, after Steve Rogers went missing in 1946, the United States government enlisted replacements to keep this a secret. The Captain America who was active during the 1950s was a man named William Burnside, first seen in Young Men #24.
As Captain America heads for home the vision of Hawkeye, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch are behind him. This is alluding to the fact that these three charcters — all outlaws — end up becoming the next roster of Avengers in Avengers #16.
Topical References
Dated pop-culture references: Spider-Man does a Arnold Schwarzenegger impression.
Cap states that he looked up information on Spider-Man on Wikipedia. This should be considered topical because it is a real-world website.
Make Mine Marvel!
Spider-Man is in a losing battle against the Human Top, who is testing out his new costume and debating on changing his name into something more menacing.[1] The villain tries to get away from Spider-Man by using his whirlwind power to toss a taxi cab, but Spider-Man catches it in a web-net. He then snatches the Top’s stolen loot and webs it to the side of a building to prevent his foe from escaping with it again. Deciding he’s had enough, the Top retreats vowing to come back and get revenge on the web-slinger someday.Out of the cab pops out Stan Lee, publisher of Marvel Comics, who is so impressed by Spider-Man’s rescue.[2]
He tells the web-slinger that he was in the neighborhood to meet with two other heroes. That’s when Giant-Man and the Wasp arrive and thank Spider-Man for dealing with their foe, the Human Top. Spider-Man can’t believe that the duo has a legion of fans and that Stan is producing a comic book based on their adventures. Hearing Spider-Man complains about his negative public profile, Stan offers a way to help out.
Later, Aunt May calls Peter Parker down to the living room because she has been upset about the recent press release from Stan Lee. He has just announced that Marvel Comics will be publishing an authorized comic book based on the exploits of that awful, awful Spider-Man. May can’t believe that they are promoting such a vigilante and this confirms her belief that comic books are for nothing but juvenile delinquents.[3] At school that day, Peter overhears Flash Thompson bragging to his friends how he intends on getting the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man when it comes out and that he is going to get Spider-Man to sign it for him. While at the Daily Bulge, J. Jonah Jameson is furious to hear the news and tells his staff to dig up whatever dirt they can find on Marvel Comics and its publisher. Listening to Jonah rant, Peter tells Betty Brant that he doesn’t understand what the big deal is, they’re only comic books.
Later, Spider-Man pays a visit to the offices of Marvel Comics. Even though Marvel Comics is being criticized in the press, Stan still thinks they should move ahead with the new book. He invites Spidey into his office and begins asking questions about Spider-Man’s background and how his powers and webbing works. Spider-Man realizes that he can’t say much without potentially exposing his secret identity, despite Stan’s assurances that they wouldn’t publish anything that might blow his identity. Spider-Man becomes even more uncomfortable when Stan tells him that he is going to have to sign a licensing deal as well.That’s when the Human Top — still trying to figure out a new name — attacks Spider-Man at the Marvel office. He eventually settles on the name Whirlwind, but as he is knocked out by Spider-Man, he decides that next time he should wear a helmet.[4] In the aftermath of the battle, Spider-Man realizes that a comic book is just too much trouble and decides that he can’t sign on for one. As Spider-Man leaves, Stan still decides to go ahead with the Spider-Man comic book, since the web-slinger is a public figure they can adapt stories based on what they read about in the news.
Recurring Characters
Spider-Man, Human Top/Whirlwind, Stan Lee, J. Jonah Jameson, Joe Robertson, Betty Brant, Frederick Foswell, Ben Urich, Phil Sheldon, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, Giant-Man, the Wasp, Liz Allan, Tiny McKeever, Jason Ionello
Continuity Notes
Another story that takes place during the early days of Spider-Man’s career. According to the Chronology Project, this story takes place around Amazing Spider-Man #27. Per the Sliding Timescale, it takes place during “year one” of the Modern Age.
Unlike other real life people, the appearances of Marvel staff members are not considered topical references. They all exist in the modern age of the Marvel Universe in the relative prime of their lives, hence why Stan Lee appears here in his middle age instead of, you know, dead. Marvel Comics exists in the Earth-616 universe creating authorized adaptations of the adventures of the superheroes who live in that world. This has been the case since Fantastic Four #10.
This is a dig at Frederick Wertham, a psychologist who in the 1940s and 50s was the figurehead of a crusade against comic books, claiming that they were corrupting the youth of the day. His previous claim to fame was analyzing serial killer Albert Fish. He later attempted to attack television in the same way, with not as much success. Wertham is the piece of shit you can thank for the Comics Code Authority which neutered creativity for 60 years until people realized comics weren’t going to make little Jimmy a sex murderer. Wertham later changed his position later on in life but he certainly didn’t have any fans within the comic book community. However, in 2010 his documentation became unsealed and it was quickly discovered that he falsified his data, so fuck that guy.
And he does! See Avengers #46.
This story features a number of Marvel Comic books. They include: Avengers #19, 22, 25 and 26, Tales of Suspense #66, 67, Journey into Mystery #117, and 118, Strange Tales #133 and 134, Fantastic Four #40, Tales to Astonish #68 and Daredevil #8.
